Matthew Ajibade

Chatham County’s sheriff says he will bring in an outside consultant to review operations at the county detention center following an inmate’s death earlier this year.

In a statement released Tuesday, Sheriff Al St. Lawrence says a consulting team will look at procedures “from top to bottom” and make recommendations to improve the detention center’s functionality and accountability. That announcement follows the death of Matthew Ajibade, 22, who died in custody on New Year’s Day.

Nine deputies were fired earlier this month following an investigation and a lieutenant resigned. St. Lawrence says he’s asking for help from the Chatham County Commission in initiating the review. Ajibade’s family has said he was in the midst of a bipolar episode when he was arrested.

Tags: Matthew Ajibade, Savannah, Chatham County, Al St. Lawrence, police, crime